Is your daycare closed today for the day without childcare? And are they a center or a home daycare?

No more funds to weapons,
The government wants to keep the people stupid so they can control them better.

War is profitable

Make Peace profitable

More funds to early educators, teachers providers, aides from centers, daycares, public schools.

Invest in Education, stop sending DOLLARS TO Ukraine, Israel, etc

It's worse than you think. They proposed to cut the Pay Equity Fund (forcing schools to lower teacher pay) AND cut Health Care 4 Child Care which covers teacher health insurance. Rally and budget hearing is tomorrow.

https://actionnetwork.org/events/rally-to-save-child-care-manifestacion-para-salvar-el-cuidado-infantil?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2UD8xLB6qJMEidMsCx-W-YQR7o5Q-QFNMtJTeqzrjr0kapfx-qkb2OwKo_aem_ARvYcvQnzmvpmYiRnPUnbxlQJUl24JjwqeDRib5CiQNpi9W58NwzaQRl_wDzGSyVrFKgPqfoGajM5B1EfdD97vR5

Anyone can sign up to testify or submit testimony here:

https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hearings/403?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2x8X3jbCbkk0G6MUJoQAwtAvek2fvj4gmuskxILYHZvkvD5O6glDf-eEQ_aem_ARux3EGVC_xUN5DMznuEEyCEb6XLkJfGOyScOPp-gxhTD6FckIaQJkBkWsLYI23x8qnSCtAcFFQe0V42etA9jlsa

The point is not for families to pay more, but for government to fill the gap so that providers can be paid a fair wage for taking care of our kids, which is an essential function.

Yes, our center is closing and all teachers are going to the demonstration. Our parents were supportive.

Frankly, parents CAN'T pay more than they do, but the IDEA was to keep centers open, and keep employees at centers to keep centers open, because we can pay teachers what they are worth.

My center has quite a few teachers with BAs, and before pay equity I had teachers leave after 2 or 3 years to go to public schools because they just couldn't pay their bills, pay off their college tuition loans, and save $ and hope to purchase a house on what our center was paying them, AND they were making $50,000 - 52,000 - which is HIGH for most centers in DC.

This will happen again if the Pay Equity Fund ends, and after the pandemic it's virtually impossible to find enough staff to take the positions. We have positions open for months, even WITH the pay equity fund, because so many are simply not great candidates, if we even get many applicants. And the # of applicants who sign up for an interview AND NEVER SHOW UP has increased exponentially since Covid. It used to be if I had 8 interviews in a week, 2 wouldn't show up. Now I can have 6 interviews (because there are so few candidates) and FOUR won't show up for their interview. It's horrifying but at least I can pay those who are hired a much better wage and perhaps they'll be willing and able to stay because they are making more $ with the pay equity boost.

Our center is closing. I hope it generates significant media attention to grab the attention of the Council. Right now the closure is most directly impacting the parents, who are all supportive of reversing these budget cuts, but can't do much about it besides raise the issue with their elected leaders. Not sure the strike is really "hurting" their target...

Anonymous wrote:Don't they charge the parents enough money? Why the guilt trip?

I think it’s similar to what a union strike would be like, a day without immigrants, that sort of solidarity protest.

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a week or longer will make parents really supportive…

+1 this would be unwise for a center to do in isolation. If all the providers are doing it for a week at least it has some chance of impacting public policy because it will have an obvious impact in workplaces. One center doing it will just antagonize their own families. And for what?

Don't they charge the parents enough money? Why the guilt trip?

Wow, a week or longer will make parents really supportive…

Thanks for the heads up. We may close, especially if the mayor doesn't committ to restoring the Pay Equity Fund to the budget, though we were thinking maybe a week or longer would be more effective than a day.

Anonymous wrote:Is your daycare in DC closing for "A Day Without Child Care" next Friday?

I’m running a daycare and I’m not closing. What do parents think of this? I would never close because it would be a huge inconvenience to all of the families although that’s exactly the point, isn’t it?

Is your daycare in DC closing for "A Day Without Child Care" next Friday?